48:3-64. Bondable stranded costs rate orders

15. a. A bondable stranded costs rate order issued by the board pursuant to section 14 of this act shall:

(1) Authorize the electric public utility or other financing entity approved by the board to issue transition bonds to finance the bondable stranded costs and to pledge or assign, sell or otherwise transfer the related bondable transition property without further order of the board, except as provided in paragraph (2) of subsection a. of this section;

(2) Approve the amount of the initial transition bond charge to be imposed upon, charged to and collected and received from the customers of the electric public utility in an amount not less than the amount necessary to fully recover bondable stranded costs, and provide for adjustment in a manner approved by the board of the initial transition bond charge prior to the closing of the related transition bonds to reflect the actual rate of interest thereon and all other costs, including any required overcollateralization, associated with the issuance of such transition bonds; and

(3) Require the electric public utility to obtain the approval of the board or its designee at the time of pricing of the terms and conditions of any transition bonds secured by or payable from the transition bond charges, servicing fees, if any, imposed with respect to the collection of such transition bond charges, or any pledging, assignment, sale or other transfer of bondable transition property in connection with the initial transition bond charge provided in paragraph (2) of subsection a. of this section, including a schedule of payments of principal and interest on the transition bonds, which notice shall be given not later than five business days after issuance and sale of the transition bonds. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the notice to the board required to be given by the electric public utility in connection with the issuance and sale of transition bonds under this subsection shall not be subject to the provisions of R.S.48:3-7 and R.S.48:3-9 and shall not affect the rights of bondholders.

b. Each bondable stranded costs rate order shall provide for mandatory periodic adjustments by the board of the transition bond charges that are the subject of the bondable stranded costs rate order, upon petition of the affected electric public utility, its assignee or financing entity, to conform the transition bond charges to the schedule of payments of principal and interest on the transition bonds provided to the board by the electric public utility pursuant to subsection a. of this section. Such adjustments shall be made at least annually. Each such adjustment shall be formula-based, shall be in the amount required to ensure receipt of revenues sufficient to provide for the full recovery of bondable stranded costs, including, without limitation, the timely payment of principal of, and interest and acquisition or redemption premium on, transition bonds issued to finance such bondable stranded costs, which shall be recovered over the term of the transition bonds and in accordance with the schedule of payments of principal and interest on the transition bonds provided to the board by the electric public utility pursuant to subsection a. of this section and shall become effective 30 days after filing thereof with the board absent a determination of manifest error by the board. The electric public utility shall propose such adjustments in a filing with the board at least 30 days in advance of the date upon which it is requested to be effective. The proposed adjustment shall become effective on an interim basis on such date and, in the absence of a board order to the contrary, shall become final 60 days thereafter. Each such adjustment shall be formula-based and shall be in the amount required to ensure receipt of revenues sufficient to provide for the full recovery of bondable stranded costs including, without limitation, the timely payment of principal of, and interest and acquisition or redemption premium on, transition bonds issued to finance such bondable stranded costs, which shall be recovered over the term of the transition bonds and in accordance with the schedule of payments of principal and interest on the transition bonds provided to the board by the electric public utility pursuant to subsection a. of this section. Such periodic adjustments shall not in any way affect the validity or irrevocability of the bondable stranded costs rate order or any sale, assignment or other transfer of or any pledge or security interest granted with respect to the related bondable transition property and shall not affect rights of bondholders.

c. A bondable stranded costs rate order and the authority to meter, charge, collect and receive the transition bond charges authorized thereby shall remain in effect until the related bondable stranded costs, including, without limitation, the principal of, and accrued interest and acquisition or redemption premium on, any transition bonds issued to finance such bondable stranded costs, have been paid in full and all other obligations and undertakings with respect thereto have been fully satisfied. Until the bondable stranded costs, including, without limitation, the principal of, and accrued interest and acquisition or redemption premium on, any transition bonds issued to finance such bondable stranded costs, have been paid in full and all other obligations and undertakings with respect thereto have been fully satisfied, the electric public utility shall be obligated to provide electricity through its transmission and distribution system to its customers and shall have the right to meter, charge, collect and receive the transition bond charges arising therefrom from its customers, which rights and obligations may be assignable solely within the discretion of the electric public utility.

d. Each bondable stranded costs rate order shall provide that any transition bond charges held by the assignee or trustee of the related transition bonds in excess of those amounts necessary to fully recover bondable stranded costs approved in the bondable stranded costs rate order shall be applied as a credit to reduce charges to customers of the electric public utility, except that all bondable stranded costs as quantified in the bondable stranded costs rate orders with respect to the electric public utility shall be aggregated for purposes of determining whether or not the total transition bond charges collected exceed the total bondable stranded costs attributable to such electric public utility and provided, further, that unless the electric public utility can demonstrate to the satisfaction of the board that such credit will result in a recharacterization of the tax, accounting, and other intended characteristics of the transition bonds, including, but not limited to, the following characteristics:

(1) the recognition of transition bonds as debt on balance sheet of the electric public utility for financial accounting purposes;

(2) treatment of the transition bonds as debt of the electric public utility or its affiliates for federal income tax purposes;

(3) treatment of the transfer of bondable transition property by the electric public utility as a true sale for bankruptcy purposes; and

(4) an adverse impact of the transition bonds on the credit rating of the electric public utility.

e. An electric public utility may commingle the revenues received from amounts charged, collected and received under transition bond charges for bondable stranded costs approved in any one or more bondable stranded costs rate orders with other funds of the electric public utility, which shall in no way affect the validity or irrevocability of any bondable stranded costs rate order issued in connection therewith or any sale, assignment or other transfer of or any pledge or security interest granted with respect to the bondable transition property created thereby.

f. Except as provided otherwise in this act, all proceedings in connection with the determination of bondable stranded costs, transition bond charges and bondable stranded costs rate orders shall be exempt from the provisions of Title 48 of the Revised Statutes and any regulations promulgated thereunder.

L.1999,c.23,s.15.